Metropolita(i)n
is a musical revue featuring a cast of six singers/performers (three men and
three women):One couple is late 40s-
early 50s, one couple is mid 30s, and one couple is 20s.More than one of the performers is able to
play the piano or another musical instrument.The setting features a backdrop that cleverly blends together two famous
subway maps, the Paris Metro system and the NYC subway lines. The evening
consists of twenty episodes, without intermission, each taking place near a
particular Metro or subway stop.Before
each scene or song, a metro/subway name on the backdrop lights up revealing
where in Paris or New York the next vignette will be taking place.

This is a revue
about perceptions… a tale of two very adored, very crowded, very cosmopolitan
cities. The opening number, “Metropolita(i)n” sets the tone:“New York, Paris… la vie metropolitain.” The
revue reflects the general attitudes, romantic feelings and misconceptions that
New Yorkers have about Paris and Parisians have about New York.The New Yorker’s songs about Paris are sung
in English and the Parisian’s songs are sung in French. Besides the cities
themselves, there are also a few satirical stabs at famous political figures on
both sides of the Atlantic, President Sarkozy and Senator Hilary Clinton, for
example.

The New Yorker
believes that Paris is really a movie set; nothing about it is real.He imagines Paris being taken down every
evening by stagehands and put up every single morning.(A song, “Ville Imaginaire”) The New Yorker
sees Paris as a city of decadence because of the notorious reputations of its
writers, cinema, theatre, etc. That everybody in Paris smokes like a chimney,
wears a black and white striped sailor’s shirt, a beret, carries a baguette
under his arm, and holds a glass of red wine in the other. That Parisians,
particularly sales people, are rude and unhelpful, especially at the Metro
guichet.(the scene is musicalized in
the song “L’homme au guichet”)That
nobody would ever think of eating early in a restaurant, except for the vulgar
American tourists, that Paris is the city of hundreds of Museums (there is a
musée de pain, de fumeur, de sexe, etc.) and one particular sex musee, the
Bistro du Curé, is even owned by a priest.That it is a place that manufactures way too many cheeses, three hundred
at least, (glorified in song “Barrage des Fromages”.)That Parisians are voyeuristic and eager to participate
in l’amour in Public places (the disapproving song is called “Prenez une
chambre”) and, clearly, everybody who is gay or Jewish lives in the Marais or,
as it is called,the “gay-tto.”

On the positive
side, the New Yorker also finds Paris a city of incomparable beauty, especially
when he is just being a flanneur, (“Se Reposer et Observer,”) or enjoying the
music that seems to be present everywhere in the city.Why, even at the Gare du Nord, the short
jingle heard before the SCNF announcements is so catchy to the New Yorker that
it becomes a dance production number for the entire cast of performers. (“Samba
de SNCF”)There is also a musical paean
to the man who had the inspiration for the city of Paris’ most famous landmark.
(“Une lettre a Monsieur Eiffel”)

And, ultimately,
despite the cultural differences, the New Yorker and the Parisian agree on one
thing, that wherever you are on this planet, you must find a way to make it
your home. (The musical finale, “Ma Maison.”)